Cynthia Sanders
November 21, 2018
Cynthia Sanders, 71, of Cantonment, FL went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, November 16, 2018. Cynthia was born in Pensacola, FL on September 11, 1947, to the late Burvee Belvin Ward and Cynthia Vera Nelson Ward. She was a homemaker and had also worked as a preschool teacher.
Cynthia was a wonderful wife, mother and grandma. She loved to spend time with her family. Her favorite things to do was to go shopping, play bingo and have her nails done. She was a beautiful person inside and out. She could always light up a room with her loving heart and always make you smile.
Cynthia is preceded in death by her loving husband of 46 years Samuel “Sam” Sanders, Sr.; children, Daniel Strang Jr., and Kevin and William Sanders; parents; and brother, Belvin “Ray” Ward.
She is survived by her son, Samuel (Darlene) Sanders, Jr.; brother, Edward (Linda) Ward; grandchildren, Stacey (Daniel) Cain, Cammie (Nathan) Cutler, Devin Kight, Matthew and Emily; and great-grandchildren, Hunter, Gage, Kendall, Kelsey, Briliegh and Leland.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, November 21, 2018, at 11 a.m. at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North with Reverend Chris Ziglar officiating.
Burial will follow in Bagdad Historical Cemetery in Bagdad, FL.
The family will receive friends at 10 a.m. prior to services.
Pallbearers will be Devin Kight, Nathan Cutler, Hunter Cain, Jamerson Nelson, Belvin Ray Ward, and Ronald Bumgarner.
Faith Chapel Funeral Home North is entrusted with arrangements.
Fire Breaks Out At West Frasier Sawmill
November 20, 2018
A fire broke out early Tuesday morning at the West Fraiser sawmill on Champion Drive in McDavid.
The 1:45 a.m. fire was contained to one area of the mill.
There was no immediate word of any injuries.
The McDavid, Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded, along with Escambia EMS.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Century Council President Warns of Possible Sunshine Law Violations
November 20, 2018
The president of the Century Town Council is warning that someone could go to jail for violating the state’s Sunshine Law requiring the “prompt” production of meeting minutes.
Monday night, the Century Council approved minutes from an August 3rd budget meeting — over three months after the meeting. Council president Ann Brooks said the council has yet to see minutes from two meetings in September, one in October and one in November.
According to the 2018 Government in the Sunshine Manual, Florida law “requires that minutes of a meeting of a public board or commission be promptly recorded and open to public inspection”. But the law does not define just how long the process should take.
“Because the term ‘promptly’ is not defined in the statute, it ’should be construed in its plain and ordinary sense,’ the Sunshine Manual states. An informal advisory opinion notes that “Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (2003) defines ‘prompt’ as done, performed, delivered, etc., at once or without delay.”
Brooks asked Town Clerk Kim Godwin when the minutes would be complete, and Godwin stated that she was working on them.
Pictured: Century Town Clerk Kim Godwin reviews a document during a Monday night council meeting. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Bicyclist Allegedly Steals Car From Century Home
November 20, 2018
A bicyclist allegedly stole a car in Century Monday evening.
The incident happened on Mayo Lane about 5:15 p.m.
Family member say a slender black male riding a bright red bicycle stopped and stole a 2007 Toyota Camry. The victim’s purse and phone were inside the car.
The vehicle was later spotted by citizens at in the drive-thru at Odom’s Bar and at the Southern Pit Stop, both on North Century Boulevard, according to family.
Early Tuesday morning, the vehicle was recovered on Pleasant Hill Road just off West Highway 4. There was no immediate word of any arrests.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 433-STOP or Crime Stoppers at (850) 436-9620.
Farm To The City: A Thanksgiving Bounty For The Needy (With Gallery)
November 20, 2018
Students from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties worked in fields near Jay Monday to harvest vegetables that will help feed about 800 needy families this week for Thanksgiving.
The event at the University of Florida’s West Florida Research and Education Center was part of Farm-City Week, bringing the bounty of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences farm to the needy of the city.
The students were from agricultural programs and organizations that included Tate High School, Northview High School, Jay High School, Central School, Beulah Middle School, Barrineau Park 4-H and the Boy Scouts. They harvested produce including greens, sorted sweet potatoes and bagged freshly ground corn meal and grits.
The produce will be distributed to 400 families in Escambia County and 400 in Santa Rosa County along with a turkey, ham or chicken and all of the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal from Feeding the Gulf Coast. (Families were preregistered for the food distributions.)
National Farm to City Week is a national effort to bring about a better understanding between rural and urban people by increasing knowledge and appreciation for agriculture.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO: Man Wearing ‘Homemade Knife Necklace’ Threatens Man, Kids
November 20, 2018
An Escambia County man was arrested after allegedly threatening a man and two children with knives.
John Stephen Bulla, 64, was charged with aggravated assault and two counts of felony child cruelty. He remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $30,000.
The victim reported that he heard a commotion outside, and when he went outside to investigate he found a man wearing a “homemade knife necklace” and holding a knife in each hand. The victim’s children had also followed him outside onto his porch.
When the victim threatened to call deputies, Bulla stated, “If you call the cops, I’ll kill you,” according to an arrest report, and then ran toward the man with a knife over his head. The victim then pushed his children inside and and locked his door as Bulla continued to yell.
When Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived, Bella initially refused to step outside. Deputies located the knife necklace and other weapons inside the home.
Highs In The Low 60’s Today; Down About 38 Tonight
November 20, 2018
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
Tuesday: Clearing, with a high near 63. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 39. North wind around 5 mph.
Thanksgiving Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Northeast wind around 5 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. East wind around 5 mph.
Friday: A slight chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night: Showers likely, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 69.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.
Incoming Senate President Says Lawmakers Won’t ‘Slow Walk’ Amendments
November 20, 2018
Incoming Senate President Bill Galvano is promising that lawmakers won’t do anything to block the nearly dozen constitutional amendments that voters passed this month.
The Legislature has come under fire in the past for allegations that it ignored amendments or approved laws limiting their scope. But Galvano said during a media availability Friday that the “people have spoken,” and “I want to make sure we are being true to the intent of the voters.”
He added that legislators are not going to “slow walk” implementation of the amendments.
Voters on Nov. 6 passed 11 measures dealing with topics ranging from taxes to vaping indoors and casino gambling.
The gambling measure, known as Amendment 3, requires voter approval for proposals that would expand casino gambling in the state. Galvano said he would like Florida to follow other states and permit betting on sports events such as football games.
But he said the Senate is still looking at whether the newly passed amendment would require lawmakers to put a sports-betting referendum on the ballot.
Voters approved 11 of the 12 amendments that appeared before them on the ballot. Only Amendment 1 — which would have increased the homestead property-tax exemption — failed to get the required 60 percent approval from voters to pass.
Voters also gave the nod to Amendment 4, which restores voting rights to most felons who have served their sentences. The amendment is estimated to impact 1.4 million people. Galvano said he didn’t support the amendment, but he said it comes to the Legislature with “greater weight” because it was passed by voters.
“We have to do it right, we’re not going to slow walk it, but we have to make sure it’s done right and implemented correctly,” said Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who will formally become Senate president during an organization session Tuesday.
While it received relatively little campaign attention, a measure that called for new lobbying restrictions was the most popular of the amendments. The lobbying proposal, known as Amendment 12, received support from 78.9 percent of voters, far exceeding the 60 percent threshold needed to pass constitutional amendments. The measure, in part, will ban state and local elected officials from lobbying for six years after they leave office.
The constitutional amendments were put on the ballot by the Constitution Revision Commission, the Legislature and through petition drives.
Others that passed included Amendment 5, which will make it harder for the Legislature to authorize or raise taxes; Amendment 9, which bars offshore oil drilling and vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes in indoor workplaces; and Amendment 13, which will ban greyhound racing at pari-mutuel facilities.
Lawmakers have clashed with backers of some constitutional amendments in the past. As an example, the Legislature has been embroiled in a series of lawsuits about whether it has properly carried out a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.
by Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida
West Florida’s Morgan Signs With Coastal Alabama
November 20, 2018
West Florida High School senior Meredith Morgan of Molino has signed with Coastal Alabama Brewton Warshawks Softball. Pictured top: The signing ceremony. Pictured below: Morgan with WFHS coach Belinda Pittman and (bottom) Coastal Alabama coach Misti Nims. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ransom Academic Team Ranks In Tournament
November 20, 2018
The Ransom Academic Team competed in the Lewis Falcons Middle School Academy Tournament on Saturday.
Team members were:
Team A
- Jake Bures, Captain
- Callie Hastings
- Aidan Webster
- Kriseya Wheeler
Team B
- Connor Ryan, Captain
- Otis Evans
- Alseha Wright
They played five morning rounds against experienced competitive teams. Both teams won preliminary matches. Team A finished in fifth place and Team B finished in ninth place out of 16 teams. In individual player rankings, Jake Bures ranked in third place her second tournament ever. Callie Hastings earned an 18th place ranking out of 69 players.
